Sailor Found Alive After 66 Days at Sea

The US Coast Guard medevaced a man who was located on a disabled sailing vessel Thursday, approximately 200 miles off the North Carolina coast, 66 days after he was reported missing by his family.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 5th District Command Center in Portsmouth received notification from the 1,085-foot, German-flagged motor vessel Houston Express at approximately 1:30 pm local time, indicating they spotted a man and the vessel approximately 200 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and took him aboard.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew launched from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, at approximately 3:40 pm. The helicopter crew met the Houston Express, hoisted the man and transported him to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, arriving at approximately 7:30 pm.

The 37-year-old Louis Jordan and the sailing vessel Angel, were initially reported missing by his family to the Coast Guard January 29.

Jordan, found sitting on the hull of his capsized vessel prior to being picked up by the Houston Express, said he ate the fish he caught to survive.

The Coast Guard will conduct a debrief with Jordan.